Stephen's Personal Blog » Not My Story http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS Everything's Programming Fri, 14 Oct 2011 01:41:26 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 en hourly 1 Low End Mac:InvisibleShield Great Protection for iPods, Notebooks, Cell Phones, PDAs, and More http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/04/19/low-end-macinvisibleshield-great-protection-for-ipods-notebooks-cell-phones-pdas-and-more/ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/04/19/low-end-macinvisibleshield-great-protection-for-ipods-notebooks-cell-phones-pdas-and-more/#comments Sun, 19 Apr 2009 16:01:02 +0000 Stephen http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/?p=1455 May the InvisibleShield be with you….

When you buy an iPod or some other gadget, you immediately think to yourself, “It seems to me that I need to get something to protect it. But what shall I choose?”

There are plenty of cases out there, but some are too bulky. You think, “Wouldn’t it be cool if there were an invisible case that doesn’t even look like a case?” Look no further than InvisibleShield from Zagg.

I have an iPod classic and an AlphaSmart Neo. I found that Zagg has InvisibleShield’s for both. Is it a good investment? Will it protect your gear?

I had a chance to try them out, and those are some of the questions we’ll answer in this review.

The first thing you’ll notice is the minimal packaging. It’s like a tri-fold brochure. Inside you’ll find three things: a squeegee, ShieldSpray, and the InvisibleShield itself.

What is the InvisibleShield? It’s a thin, transparent film that protects the casing of your device of choice.
…
on Low End Mac

]]> http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/04/19/low-end-macinvisibleshield-great-protection-for-ipods-notebooks-cell-phones-pdas-and-more/feed/ 0 Ride of Silence http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/04/14/ride-of-silence/ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/04/14/ride-of-silence/#comments Wed, 15 Apr 2009 03:31:35 +0000 Stephen http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/?p=1445 Amarillo’s fifth annual RIDE OF SILENCE (www.rideofsilence.org) will be held May 20, Wednesday. Please plan to join 150-200 riders in this free, slow paced ride to remember Tasha Enloe and other bicycle riders who have been killed or injured by a motorist while riding. We will ride in silence, without talking, at at slow speed of 10-12 mph in a funeral procession with police escort. Please wear a helmet.
Meet at 6:30 PM on May 20 at Amarillo Art Museum, Van Buren St at SW 22nd Ave for pre-ride announcements and dedication prior to our group roll-out at 7 PM. The Ride will take about 45 minutes to cover a 7 mile course through neighborhoods and commercial districts.
All riders are encourage to wear a black armband in remembrance of Tasha and others. If you have been injured by a motorist while riding please wear a red arm band.
We will pass the helmet again this year to collect $210 to cover the cost of the three APD squad cars and off duty police officers. The COPPS units (police bicycle squad) will again volunteer their services to help the squad cars.
Please copy the above information and send to your friends to encourage riders of all ages and capabilites to join us. A sag wagon will be provided for riders needing assistance. OTC will host the event and provide free refreshments again this year.
http://www.oldtascosacycling.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=1962

]]> http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/04/14/ride-of-silence/feed/ 0 Rolling Stops http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/04/10/rolling-stops/ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/04/10/rolling-stops/#comments Fri, 10 Apr 2009 12:07:20 +0000 Stephen http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/?p=1438 Welcome to Cyclelicious. Take the quiz and see how well you do. Answers immediately below.

1. Motorists in Portland, Oregon come to a legal, complete stop at stop signs how often?

1. 92% of the time
2. 62%
3. 44%
4. 22%

If you answered 92%, you’re not even close. 62% and 44% aren’t right either. The Portland (OR) Bureau of Transportation found that drivers come to a complete stop at stop signs only 22% of the time, according to this article in The Oregonia.

The same traffic survey showed cyclists stop only 7% of the time…

]]> http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/04/10/rolling-stops/feed/ 0 Rocky, The Karmic Black Hole http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/03/15/rocky-the-karmic-black-hole/ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/03/15/rocky-the-karmic-black-hole/#comments Sun, 15 Mar 2009 13:46:53 +0000 Stephen http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/?p=1357 Rocky, The Karmic Black Hole

When you go on an endurance ride, you’ve got to choose your partners carefully. You’ve got to have similar endurance and strength, sure, but that’s not really what I mean. You’ve got to pick people you are not going to get sick of. If you don’t like knock-knock jokes, don’t go riding with a guy famous for his knock-knock joke-telling prowess. If you don’t like complainers, don’t go riding with a guy famous for finding fault with everything.

If you don’t like someone paying attention to every little thing and eventually writing a story where you’re the punchline, maybe don’t go riding with me.
Amazingly, my brother-in-law, Rocky, is one of those guys I can ride with all day. He’s interesting. He’s smart. He’s a good rider. He’s curiously devoid of annoying habits.

Above all, though, Rocky is a good guy to ride with because he has such remarkably bad luck that you know — know — something interesting is going to happen when you go riding with him. I’m not just talking about a tendency to have occasional mishaps. No, indeed. I am talking about a special gift for bad luck. The Bad Luck Continuum warps and shifts, just so it can find Rocky.

If you were fated to have bad luck today — your horoscope, fortune cookie, and priest all told you so — ride with Rocky. You’ll be just fine.
…

]]> http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/03/15/rocky-the-karmic-black-hole/feed/ 0 Friday Afternoon Fun: Turn a Sharpie into a Liquid Fueled Rocket‏ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/02/28/friday-afternoon-fun-turn-a-sharpie-into-a-liquid-fueled-rocket%e2%80%8f/ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/02/28/friday-afternoon-fun-turn-a-sharpie-into-a-liquid-fueled-rocket%e2%80%8f/#comments Sat, 28 Feb 2009 19:37:29 +0000 Stephen http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/?p=1327 We donned our mind reading helmet here at Lifehacker and have divined the perfect thing for a little Friday Fun: a high altitude rocket made from office supplies. An inventive user at DIY site Instructables details how to turn a few common office supplies into an impressive rocket. If you can get your hands on a sharpie, a can of compressed air, and an assortment of other office items like tape, rubber bands, and bottle caps, then you’re on your way to winning the Office McGyver award. The parts list has a Leather Multi-Tool as an item but as you’ll see in the video below all you actually need are needle nose pliers.
We can’t promise you it will achieve low earth orbit or even break low lying cloud cover, but we can promise you’ll put your eye out if you’re not careful, so unless you want to live out your career known as the One Eyed Pirate of Cubicle Farm Four, we recommend exercising extreme care with your homemade projectiles. (Or just, you know, get your vicarious fix through the video. It’s what we’re doing.)

http://lifehacker.com/5161306/turn-a-sharpie-into-a-liquid-fueled-rocket

Video: http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/690356/office_supplies_rocket.swf

]]> http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/02/28/friday-afternoon-fun-turn-a-sharpie-into-a-liquid-fueled-rocket%e2%80%8f/feed/ 0 Privately Funded Congressional Travel Map http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/02/18/privately-funded-congressional-travel-map/ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/02/18/privately-funded-congressional-travel-map/#comments Wed, 18 Feb 2009 14:26:22 +0000 Stephen http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/?p=1302 This is a Google Map with lots of drill down into congressional financing. The last 10 yrs or so of data is online. Several graphs and lists are generated. The ‘08 data doesn’t seem to be up there now.

OpenSecrets.org
http://www.opensecrets.org/travel/search_results.php?state=TX

]]> http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/02/18/privately-funded-congressional-travel-map/feed/ 0 The Kinky Llama http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/02/16/the-kinky-llama/ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/02/16/the-kinky-llama/#comments Tue, 17 Feb 2009 04:14:32 +0000 Stephen http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/?p=1288 This is a good little video.

The Kinky Llama delivers sex toys, products in a jiff
John Keilman
Feb 3, 2009

Inspiration can strike at odd times. Anthony Mikrut got the idea for his business about 3 o’clock one morning, when he and a girlfriend were in search of some … uh … products to enhance their … er … special evening.

“We figured you can get pizza any time of night,” he said. “Why can’t you get [sex] toys?”

Thus was born The Kinky Llama, a purveyor of adult goods that promises one-hour delivery—by bicycle, no less — to most places in Chicago. Mikrut, 33, said the company has been around for 21/2 years and that, despite the recession, he’s busier than ever.

“I think people like to have a little fun when they’re not having the best time in the market,” he said.

His West Town home office holds about 1,500 items, from videos to marital aids to specially designed furniture, and he tosses his wares into a bag or bike trailer when it’s time for a delivery. So far, he said, all of his rush orders have come at night or in the early morning — and almost all have come from women.
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]]> http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/02/16/the-kinky-llama/feed/ 0 Bicycle Commuting and the No-Car Life http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/01/24/bicycle-commuting-and-the-no-car-life/ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/01/24/bicycle-commuting-and-the-no-car-life/#comments Sun, 25 Jan 2009 03:26:11 +0000 Stephen http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/?p=1246 Date: 2008-07-28 By: Laura E. Kreger
From Llewellyn’s 2009 Green Living Guide
Bicycle Commuting and the No-Car Life

When I moved from the rural Midwest to Portland, Oregon, I entered a metro area of 2 million people with more breweries than anywhere in the country and more strip clubs per capita than Las Vegas. My Minnesotan family collectively raised their eyebrows, but I had faith I wouldn’t do anything drastic.

Between its pints and dancers, the City of Roses sways heavily toward environmentalism. This sentiment weaves through a culture of fleece-covered yuppies, dreadlocked beat poets, hipster rock stars, and the homeless man who picks up trash in the neighborhood park. When a co-worker said he didn’t recycle, battle cries flew up from a four-cube radius. Somewhere all these groups merge to create a city recognized as one of the most environmentally-friendly, and, as a result, most bike-friendly cities in the country.

After just two years in the Pacific Northwest, I found myself making New Year’s Resolution 2007: Sell car, buy bicycle.

When I made the announcement, my parents worried that Portland hippies were ruining their daughter, but still didn’t believe I would take the plunge. Even my roommate, who supported the idea, figured this would go the way of “Do a handstand,” which ended with me sprawled on my new yoga mat, laughing at myself. I wasn’t coming into this adventure an urban biking expert. In fact, I hadn’t even sat on a bike in two years. When the car-free plan didn’t die in four days (like most of my resolutions), the questions started flying:

“Why on earth would you want to be without a car?”
“What would you do in the winter?”
“What if you get sick?”
“How will you carry groceries?”
“How will you bring us to the ocean if we visit in five years?”

All valid questions.
…

]]> http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2009/01/24/bicycle-commuting-and-the-no-car-life/feed/ 0 Penny Stove http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2008/12/22/penny-stove/ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2008/12/22/penny-stove/#comments Mon, 22 Dec 2008 23:02:52 +0000 Stephen http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/?p=1114 In 2004 I first posted the original instructions for a design that I had been working on for many years. This site documents the response and continuing search for a homemade camping stove that is safer, lighter, heats faster, burns longer, uses less fuel, easier to make and use. Most alcohol stoves will heat two cups of water, but when I go hiking, I may want to melt snow or sterilize two quarts on 2 oz. of fuel. Or, bake some scones, or simmer a pot of real rice or grains on 2/3 oz., or make tea for two on 1/2 oz..

The penny pressure regulator and simmer ring combination let it function as two stoves. It can prime and boil a quart of water just 20 seconds slower than a gas cook-top, or simmer at max efficiently for almost an hour. Web reviews from around the World show that it “performed like a champ” with a wind chill of -9°, “excellent” even with 50 mph wind gusts, and “great” at the top of Mt. Whitney – 14,491 ft..

Independent tests document that it heats faster, uses less fuel, simmers longer, and packs lighter than any commercial alcohol stove. It combines the features and performance of three basic designs – the efficiency of a high pressure/Photon Stove, the ease to fill and light of a double wall/Pepsi Stove, and fast heat of a tub/Cat Stove. So simple that you can build a rough one on the trail with a leatherman or good pocket knife – no insulation, rulers, epoxy, needles, or tape. If you have played with homebuilt stoves before, this one should be a snap.

Making the Penny Stove

]]> http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2008/12/22/penny-stove/feed/ 0 Pedal Powered Snowplow http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2008/10/27/pedal-powered-snowplow/ http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/2008/10/27/pedal-powered-snowplow/#comments Mon, 27 Oct 2008 15:26:15 +0000 Stephen http://stephensite.net/WordPressSS/?p=1022 This is a great little video.

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